Asian Cup 2019 Quarterfinals: Identifying the Opponent - Japan is no longer the same

Ranked 3rd in Asia, 50th in the world

Once holding the sole position at the top of Asian football, in recent years, with the growth of the Iranian national team and the merger of Australia into the Asian Football Federation, the Japanese national team has been pushed down to 3rd place in the continent based on the FIFA rankings.

Japan is still a very strong opponent for any team in Asia. Photo: AFC

However, it cannot be said that this team is going downhill, even though it no longer brings beautiful football to destroy the opponent, the Japanese team has brought a very pragmatic style of play to both ensure a victory and plan for the next matches. That is also the type of football that the Vietnamese team is pursuing, causing many big teams to regret.

Head to head record

Obviously, with the 50th position on the FIFA rankings and 3rd in Asia, Japan's level is completely superior to Vietnam. In the 2 official confrontations in history, the victory was also called the name of the team from the land of the rising sun.

Vietnam Olympic team won against Japan Olympic team at Asiad 2018. Photo: Doc Lap

But that does not mean that the Vietnamese team is afraid, especially when Park Hang-seo and his team have successfully completed the target set before the 2019 Asian Cup and the Vietnamese Olympic team also surpassed the country's Olympic team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

Recent form

In the last 10 matches, the Japanese team has only lost 3 in international friendly matches, and has not been defeated in other matches in the World Cup and Asian Cup. Most notably, the goalless draw with the team that should be ranked number 1 in the world on the FIFA rankings, Belgium, at the 2018 World Cup.

For the Vietnamese national team, after losing to Iraq and ending their 18-match unbeaten streak, coach Park Hang-seo's team lost to Iran in the second match of the group stage and then continued to win against Yemen in Group D and Jordan in the round of 16.

The constant progress of the Vietnamese team and the somewhat similar playing style can cause the Japanese team many difficulties in this match compared to previous confrontations.

Featured star

It is not difficult to find the most prominent name on the side of the team from the land of the rising sun, that is Yoshida - the player currently playing for Shouthamton in the Premier League. The captain of the Japanese national team in this tournament is a solid stopper in the tactical scheme of coach Moriyasu Hajime, contributing significantly to the victories of the home team.

Yoshida is the brightest star of the Japanese team in this tournament. Photo: FIFA

Penetrating the defense under Yoshida's leadership is quite a difficult problem not only for the Vietnamese team but also for any team facing the Japanese team at this time.